In the search for the best yacht for cruising long distances safely and comfortably, Nordhavn has always been the brand that tops the list. And there, perhaps, is no greater testament to this than the Nordhavn Distance Pennant Program, which is a way for us to get a grasp on how many miles Nordhavns have logged under their keels. We’ve been approaching 7 million nautical miles for a while now and have been watching the counter on the Distance Pennant homepage all summer as it closed in on that milestone number. To hasten the result, we challenged owners to get their numbers in and promised a reward of some cool Nordhavn swag to the owner that would help us to 7 million. It was an idea borrowed from the confetti-popping, big-check-presenting celebrations of the “one millionth customer served” at the local grocery store. Yesterday at around 4 pm Pacific Time, an owner logged in the miles that would push us over that tally. And how fitting that the vessel responsible for capturing the 7-millionth-mile was Nordhavn 46#1 Water Brother V, aka the first Nordhavn ever built.

Owner George Barnard updated the Distance Pennant database, posting the 18,000 nm he accumulated since purchasing the boat in 2014 and cruising to the likes of the Bahamas, Nova Scotia, Alaska and La Paz, Mexico. Imagine, a 31-year-old boat still making passages, continuing to do the job Jim Leishman knew she would be able to all those years ago when he first had the idea of building a production long-range powerboat. Nordhavn 46#1 made a statement back then, and she makes another powerful statement today, putting to rest anyone who dare question a Nordhavn’s build quality, ability or reliability.

When we started the Nordhavn Distance Pennant program 12 years ago, we did it as a way to honor the boats – and their owners – for all the cruising they’ve done. The pennants have become a badge of honor amongst the Nordhavn community who, it appears, are (at least subconsciously) out to one-up each other’s itinerary. Unlike other boaters who are content to hang out at the dock, Nordhavn owners are most happy at sea. And, boy, have they proved it over the years. We’ve given out hundreds of pennants throughout the duration of the program, a few 100,000 nm pennants, several Circumnavigation pennants, and even some Extreme Latitude pennants to those who literally have gone above (or below) and beyond all others. And now we top 7 million miles, a mind-blowing number and one that certainly no other manufacturer can come close to boasting about.

In this very odd year filled with uncertainty, one thing has remained constant and that is all the Nordhavns that have continued to cruise the world, and as such, the awarding of Distance Pennants. We have spent much of the past several weeks tallying up the miles and awarding those mileage milestones to owners of all different model Nordhavns.

We’re not sure how many miles Nordhavn 46#1 has actually traveled over the years. And we’re not entirely sure how many miles all Nordhavns have achieved. Considering hundreds of past and current owners have not reported, that amount is significantly greater than 7 million. We’re happy to celebrate this number, nonetheless, the proud manufacturer whose clients are our greatest advertisement and the envy of the passagemaking world.

Nordhavn owners! Help us reach our next cruising mileage goal! If you haven’t logged into the Distance Pennant Program yet, visit https://nordhavn.com/community/distance-pennant-program to post your miles.